Numbers at once flocked to the royal abode, both artists and sitters.It was a famous time; and the buildings of the palace being "taboo"to all but the tattooers and chiefs, the sitters bivouacked on thecommon, and formed an extensive encampment.
The "Lora Tattoo," or the Time of Tattooing, will be long remembered.An enthusiastic sitter celebrated the event in verse. Several lineswere repeated to us by Hardy, some of which, in a sort of colloquialchant he translated nearly thus:
"Where is that sound? In Hannamanoo. And wherefore that sound? The sound of a hundred hammers, Tapping, tapping, tapping The shark teeth."
"Where is that light? Round about the king's house, And the small laughter? The small, merry laughter it is Of the sons and daughters of the tattooed."
CHAPTER IX.
WE STEER TO THE WESTWARD--STATE OF AFFAIRS
THE night we left Hannamanoo was bright and starry, and so warm that,when the watches were relieved, most of the men, instead of goingbelow, flung themselves around the foremast.
Toward morning, finding the heat of the forecastle unpleasant, Iascended to the deck where everything was noiseless. The Trades wereblowing with a mild, steady strain upon the canvas, and the shipheading right out into the immense blank of the Western Pacific. Thewatch were asleep. With one foot resting on the rudder, even the manat the helm nodded, and the mate himself, with arms folded, wasleaning against the capstan.
On such a night, and all alone, reverie was inevitable. I leaned overthe side, and could not help thinking of the strange objects we mightbe sailing over.
But my meditations were soon interrupted by a gray, spectral shadowcast over the heaving billows. It was the dawn, soon followed by thefirst rays of the morning. They flashed into view at one end of thearched night, like--to compare great things with small--the gleamingsof Guy Fawkes's lantern in the vaults of the Parliament House.Before long, what seemed a live ember rested for a moment on the rimof the ocean, and at last the blood-red sun stood full and round inthe level East, and the long sea-day began.
Breakfast over, the first thing attended to was the formal baptism ofWymontoo, who, after thinking over his affairs during the night,looked dismal enough.
There were various opinions as to a suitable appellation. Somemaintained that we ought to call him "Sunday," that being the day wecaught him; others, "Eighteen Forty-two," the then year of our Lord;while Doctor Long Ghost remarked that he ought, by all means, toretain his original name,--Wymontoo-Hee, meaning (as he maintained),in the figurative language of the island, something analogous to onewho had got himself into a scrape. The mate put an end to thediscussion by sousing the poor fellow with a bucket of salt water,and bestowing upon him the nautical appellation of "Luff."
Though a certain mirthfulness succeeded his first pangs at leavinghome, Wymontoo--we will call him thus--gradually relapsed into hisformer mood, and became very melancholy. Often I noticed himcrouching apart in the forecastle, his strange eyes gleamingrestlessly, and watching the slightest movement of the men. Many atime he must have been thinking of his bamboo hut, when they weretalking of Sydney and its dance-houses.
We were now fairly at sea, though to what particular cruising-groundwe were going, no one knew; and, to all appearances, few cared. Themen, after a fashion of their own, began to settle down into theroutine of sea-life, as if everything was going on prosperously.Blown along over a smooth sea, there was nothing to do but steer theship, and relieve the "look-outs" at the mast-heads. As for the sick,they had two or three more added to their number--the air of theisland having disagreed with the constitutions of several of therunaways. To crown all, the captain again relapsed, and became quiteill.
The men fit for duty were divided into two small watches, headedrespectively by the mate and the Mowree; the latter by virtue of hisbeing a harpooner, succeeding to the place of the second mate, whohad absconded.
In this state of things whaling was out of the question; but in theface of everything, Jermin maintained that the invalids would soon bewell. However that might be, with the same pale Hue sky overhead, wekept running steadily to the westward. Forever advancing, we seemedalways in the same place, and every day was the former lived overagain. We saw no ships, expected to see none. No sign of life wasperceptible but the porpoises and other fish sporting under the bowslike pups ashore. But, at intervals, the gray albatross, peculiar tothese seas, came flapping his immense wings over us, and then skimmedaway silently as if from a plague-ship. Or flights of the tropicbird, known among seamen as the "boatswain," wheeled round and roundus, whistling shrilly as they flew.
The uncertainty hanging over our destination at this time, and thefact that we were abroad upon waters comparatively little traversed,lent an interest to this portion of the cruise which I shall neverforget.
From obvious prudential considerations the Pacific has beenprincipally sailed over in known tracts, and this is the reason whynew islands are still occasionally discovered by exploring ships andadventurous whalers notwithstanding the great number of vessels ofall kinds of late navigating this vast ocean. Indeed, considerableportions still remain wholly unexplored; and there is doubt as to theactual existence of certain shoals, and reefs, and small clusters ofislands vaguely laid down in the charts. The mere circumstance,therefore, of a ship like ours penetrating into these regions, wassufficient to cause any reflecting mind to feel at least a littleuneasy. For my own part, the many stories I had heard of shipsstriking at midnight upon unknown rocks, with all sail set, and aslumbering crew, often recurred to me, especially, as from theabsence of discipline, and our being so shorthanded, the watches atnight were careless in the extreme.
But no thoughts like these were entertained by my reckless shipmates;and along we went, the sun every evening setting right ahead of ourjib boom.
For what reason the mate was so reserved with regard to our precisedestination was never made known. The stories he told us, I, for one,did not believe; deeming them all a mere device to lull the crew.
He said we were bound to a fine cruising ground, scarcely known toother whalemen, which he had himself discovered when commanding asmall brig upon a former voyage. Here, the sea was alive with largewhales, so tame that all you had to do was to go up and kill them:they were too frightened to resist. A little to leeward of this was asmall cluster of islands, where we were going to refit, abounding withdelicious fruits, and peopled by a race almost wholly unsophisticatedby intercourse with strangers.
In order, perhaps, to guard against the possibility of anyone findingout the precise latitude and longitude of the spot we were going to,Jermin never revealed to us the ship's place at noon, though such isthe custom aboard of most vessels.
Meanwhile, he was very assiduous in his attention to the invalids.Doctor Long Ghost having given up the keys of the medicine-chest,they were handed over to him; and, as physician, he discharged hisduties to the satisfaction of all. Pills and powders, in most cases,were thrown to the fish, and in place thereof, the contents of amysterious little quarter cask were produced, diluted with water fromthe "butt." His draughts were mixed on the capstan, in cocoa-nutshells marked with the patients' names. Like shore doctors, he didnot eschew his own medicines, for his professional calls in theforecastle were sometimes made when he was comfortably tipsy: nor didhe omit keeping his invalids in good-humour, spinning his yarns tothem, by the hour, whenever he went to see them.
Owing to my lameness, from which I soon began to recover, I did noactive duty, except standing an occasional "trick" at the helm. Itwas in the forecastle chiefly, that I spent my time, in company withthe Long Doctor, who was at great pains to make himself agreeable.His books, though sadly torn and tattered, were an invaluableresource. I read them through again and again, including a learnedtreatise on the yellow fever. In addition to these, he had an oldfile of Sydney papers, and I soon became intimately acquainted withthe localities of all the advertising tradesmen there. In particular,the rhetorical flourishes of Stubbs, the
real-estate auctioneer,diverted me exceedingly, and I set him down as no other than a pupilof Robins the Londoner.
Aside from the pleasure of his society, my intimacy with Long Ghostwas of great service to me in other respects. His disgrace in thecabin only confirmed the good-will of the democracy in theforecastle; and they not only treated him in the most friendlymanner, but looked up to him with the utmost deference, besideslaughing heartily at all his jokes. As his chosen associate, thisfeeling for him extended to me, and gradually we came to be regardedin the light of distinguished guests. At meal-times we were alwaysfirst served, and otherwise were treated with much respect.
Among other devices to kill time, during the frequent calms, LongGhost hit upon the game of chess. With a jack-knife, we carved thepieces quite tastefully out of bits of wood, and our board was themiddle of a chest-lid, chalked into squares, which, in playing, westraddled at either end. Having no other suitable way ofdistinguishing the sets, I marked mine by tying round them littlescarfs of black silk, torn from an old neck-handkerchief. Puttingthem in mourning this way, the doctor said, was quite appropriate,seeing that they had reason to feel sad three games out of four. Ofchess, the men never could make head nor tail; indeed, their wonderrose to such a pitch that they at last regarded the mysteriousmovements of the game with something more than perplexity; and afterpuzzling over them through several long engagements, they came to theconclusion that we must be a couple of necromancers.
CHAPTER X.
A SEA-PARLOUR DESCRIBED, WITH SOME OF ITS TENANTS
I MIGHT as well give some idea of the place in which the doctor and Ilived together so sociably.
Most persons know that a ship's forecastle embraces the forward partof the deck about the bowsprit: the same term, however, is generallybestowed upon the sailors' sleeping-quarters, which occupy a spaceimmediately beneath, and are partitioned off by a bulkhead.
Planted right in the bows, or, as sailors say, in the very eyes of theship, this delightful apartment is of a triangular shape, and isgenerally fitted with two tiers of rude bunks. Those of the Juliawere in a most deplorable condition, mere wrecks, some having beentorn down altogether to patch up others; and on one side there werebut two standing. But with most of the men it made little differencewhether they had a bunk or not, since, having no bedding, they hadnothing to put in it but themselves.
Upon the boards of my own crib I spread all the old canvas and oldclothes I could pick up. For a pillow, I wrapped an old jacket rounda log. This helped a little the wear and tear of one's bones when theship rolled.
Rude hammocks made out of old sails were in many cases used assubstitutes for the demolished bunks; but the space they swung in wasso confined that they were far from being agreeable.
The general aspect of the forecastle was dungeon-like and dingy in theextreme. In the first place, it was not five feet from deck to deckand even this space was encroached upon by two outlandishcross-timbers bracing the vessel, and by the sailors' chests, overwhich you must needs crawl in getting about. At meal-times, andespecially when we indulged in after-dinner chat, we sat about thechests like a parcel of tailors.
In the middle of all were two square, wooden columns, denominated inmarine architecture "Bowsprit Bitts." They were about a foot apart,and between them, by a rusty chain, swung the forecastle lamp,burning day and night, and forever casting two long black shadows.Lower down, between the bitts, was a locker, or sailors' pantry, keptin abominable disorder, and sometimes requiring a vigorous cleaningand fumigation.
All over, the ship was in a most dilapidated condition; but in theforecastle it looked like the hollow of an old tree going to decay.In every direction the wood was damp and discoloured, and here andthere soft and porous. Moreover, it was hacked and hewed withoutmercy, the cook frequently helping himself to splinters forkindling-wood from the bitts and beams. Overhead, every carline wassooty, and here and there deep holes were burned in them, a freak ofsome drunken sailors on a voyage long previous.
From above, you entered by a plank, with two elects, slanting downfrom the scuttle, which was a mere hole in the deck. There being noslide to draw over in case of emergency, the tarpaulin temporarilyplaced there was little protection from the spray heaved over thebows; so that in anything of a breeze the place was miserably wet.In a squall, the water fairly poured down in sheets like a cascade,swashing about, and afterward spirting up between the chests like thejets of a fountain.
Such were our accommodations aboard of the Julia; but bad as theywere, we had not the undisputed possession of them. Myriads ofcockroaches, and regiments of rats disputed the place with us. Agreater calamity than this can scarcely befall a vessel in the SouthSeas.
So warm is the climate that it is almost impossible to get rid ofthem. You may seal up every hatchway, and fumigate the hull till thesmoke forces itself out at the seams, and enough will survive torepeople the ship in an incredibly short period. In some vessels, thecrews of which after a hard fight have given themselves up, as itwere, for lost, the vermin seem to take actual possession, thesailors being mere tenants by sufferance. With Sperm Whalemen,hanging about the Line, as many of them do for a couple of years on astretch, it is infinitely worse than with other vessels.
As for the Julia, these creatures never had such free and easy timesas they did in her crazy old hull; every chink and cranny swarmedwith them; they did not live among you, but you among them. So truewas this, that the business of eating and drinking was better done inthe dark than in the light of day.
Concerning the cockroaches, there was an extraordinary phenomenon, forwhich none of us could ever account.
Every night they had a jubilee. The first symptom was an unusualclustering and humming among the swarms lining the beams overhead,and the inside of the sleeping-places. This was succeeded by aprodigious coming and going on the part of those living out of sightPresently they all came forth; the larger sort racing over the chestsand planks; winged monsters darting to and fro in the air; and thesmall fry buzzing in heaps almost in a state of fusion.
On the first alarm, all who were able darted on deck; while some ofthe sick who were too feeble, lay perfectly quiet--the distractedvermin running over them at pleasure. The performance lasted someten minutes, during which no hive ever hummed louder. Often it waslamented by us that the time of the visitation could never bepredicted; it was liable to come upon us at any hour of the night, andwhat a relief it was, when it happened to fall in the early part ofthe evening.
Nor must I forget the rats: they did not forget me. Tame as Trenck'smouse, they stood in their holes peering at you like old grandfathersin a doorway. Often they darted in upon us at meal-times, and nibbledour food. The first time they approached Wymontoo, he was actuallyfrightened; but becoming accustomed to it, he soon got along withthem much better than the rest. With curious dexterity he seized theanimals by their legs, and flung them up the scuttle to find a waterygrave.
But I have a story of my own to tell about these rats. One day thecabin steward made me a present of some molasses, which I was sochoice of that I kept it hid away in a tin can in the farthest cornerof my bunk.. Faring as we did, this molasses dropped upon a biscuitwas a positive luxury, which I shared with none but the doctor, andthen only in private. And sweet as the treacle was, how could breadthus prepared and eaten in secret be otherwise than pleasant?
One night our precious can ran low, and in canting it over in thedark, something beside the molasses slipped out. How long it had beenthere, kind Providence never revealed; nor were we over anxious toknow; for we hushed up the bare thought as quickly as possible. Thecreature certainly died a luscious death, quite equal to Clarence'sin the butt of Malmsey.
CHAPTER XI.
DOCTOR LONG GHOST A WAG--ONE OF HIS CAPERS
GRAVE though he was at times, Doctor Long Ghost was a decided wag.
Everyone knows what lovers of fun sailors are ashore--afloat, they areabsolutely mad after it. So his pranks were duly appreciated.
The poor
old black cook! Unlashing his hammock for the night, andfinding a wet log fast asleep in it; and then waking in the morningwith his woolly head tarred. Opening his coppers, and finding an oldboot boiling away as saucy as could be, and sometimes cakes of pitchcandying in his oven.
Baltimore's tribulations were indeed sore; there was no peace for himday nor night. Poor fellow! he was altogether too good-natured. Saywhat they will about easy-tempered people, it is far better, on someaccounts, to have the temper of a wolf. Whoever thought of takingliberties with gruff Black Dan?
The most curious of the doctor's jokes, was hoisting the men aloft bythe foot or shoulder, when they fell asleep on deck during thenight-watches.
Ascending from the forecastle on one occasion, he found every soulnapping, and forthwith went about his capers. Fastening a rope's endto each sleeper, he rove the lines through a number of blocks, andconducted them all to the windlass; then, by heaving round cheerily,in spite of cries and struggles, he soon had them dangling aloft inall directions by arms and legs. Waked by the uproar, we rushed upfrom below, and found the poor fellows swinging in the moonlight fromthe tops and lower yard-arms, like a parcel of pirates gibbeted atsea by a cruiser.
Connected with this sort of diversion was another prank of his. Duringthe night some of those on deck would come below to light a pipe, ortake a mouthful of beef and biscuit. Sometimes they fell asleep; andbeing missed directly that anything was to be done, their shipmatesoften amused themselves by running them aloft with a pulley droppeddown the scuttle from the fore-top.
Omoo: Adventures in the South Seas Page 4